I ordered 25 chicks and 15 ducks from efowl.com in March. The chicks were vaccinated for Marek's.

While I was waiting for them, I bought 12 Buff Orpingtons from TSC.

I got 4 guinea chicks from Rural King.

I got 3 adult roosters from Shawna in Thorntown.

I got an adult JGB roo from somebody in Whitestown.

I have had one mysterious death. A guinea was dead in the morning a few weeks back. No sign of trauma. I double bagged it and dumped it in the trash.

Knock on wood.

If vaccinated chicks can give other chickens Marek's, then I have, indeed, been fortunate.

I think it's a myth.

John

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no I don't think vaccinated chicks can give unvaccinated chicks the disease strictly based on the vaccination. But I think vaccinated chicks that have also been exposed to the disease but do not have symptoms because of the vaccine can expose another chicken. I don't think that could happen with day old vaccinated chicks from
A hatchery. But I think it could happen with say a vaccinated pullet from another farm.

I ordered 25 chicks and 15 ducks from efowl.com in March. The chicks were vaccinated for Marek's.

While I was waiting for them, I bought 12 Buff Orpingtons from TSC.

I got 4 guinea chicks from Rural King.

I got 3 adult roosters from Shawna in Thorntown.

I got an adult JGB roo from somebody in Whitestown.

I have had one mysterious death. A guinea was dead in the morning a few weeks back. No sign of trauma. I double bagged it and dumped it in the trash.

Knock on wood.

If vaccinated chicks can give other chickens Marek's, then I have, indeed, been fortunate.

I think it's a myth.

John

Click to expand...

John, it is my understanding that the vaccine is to prevent the growth of tumors, it also reduces the amount of md infected dander from shedding in the skin cell, feathers etc. the thing with the vaccine is you will not know you have md. No signs. Or you may lose half of you flock. But you would still have an infected flock. All who live will be carriers for life shedding it in their dander for the air to blow to the next farm. I'm still learning about it, but it is said the md virus can live for like 10 months with no host. And can be carried for 5 miles in the wind. Md doesn't play by any rule book I've ever seen! you can get all your chickens vaccinated and still go full blown md. kind of makes me think we have been fortunate.

I am wondering about all of these Marek's scares here lately. I'm wondering mainly if whoever posted about the heat and humidity is right in saying that it is perhaps not Marek's, but mold that is causing this. (Was that even on this thread? Anyway, the point still stands.)

I found it helpful to see videos when I had a Marek's scare not too long ago. There is a VAST difference between what I had seen and what Marek's does. I don't want to embed the videos here, but here are the links to them:

The typical 'one leg forward, one leg back' position:

Paralysis in a bird with Marek's (notice how the bird is standing, just not using one leg) :

The first half of this video has birds with paralysis typical of Marek's. Notice how they have absolutely no control of one or both legs (the second half of the video shows you how to vaccinate in a hatchery setting, dunno if that's of any interest to y'all):

I was able to rule out Marek's disease not only from these videos but from reading many, many descriptions of the disease. My bird was weak in the legs and would not stand--but she was fully able to walk all the bedding out from under her when she was in a sling and still had the ability to curl and uncurl her toes.

I never found out what she had. I made the mistake of not having a necropsy performed on her. I was heartbroken at the time, though, and wasn't thinking clearly. If I had it to do over, I would definitely do the necropsy--as others have said, better to know for sure what the cause was. I strongly suspect that she got into something she shouldn't have, though, as that bird was always into things.

Well now you really have me wondering if it could be mold. Ugh I wish the vet could just live test him. My boy is more like what you describe. He has the use of both legs but they are too weak to stand and balance. I just don't know :/ it was 100 degrees pretty much all week. And they do all free range he could've gotten in to anything. The feed is kept in my basement though which is very dry but I am sure moldy food has been distributed. Heck chobani just recalled their yogurt for mold.

Don't know. Maybe but he's been in the ac all day today and not much improvement. Time will tell I suppose. If things don't turn around I will have the necropsy done to find out what happened. I was so worried about the other younger ones in my flock I didn't sleep at all last night.